Steady Flight Circle 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Thomas Xu's Steady Flight Circle cruises to a third release here and calls upon a fine band of talents to contribute one track each under the title of Friends & Mentors. He says of the EP "it features the gifts and talents of individuals who I look up to and honestly enjoy the company of." Terri Whodat kicks off with a heavily rooted and mid-tempo deep house track with a candle-lit vibe and gentle pianos while 'Saht Nam' is a cosmic affair with reflective chords over prickly beats. The flip side then gets super zoned out a dreamy with Meftah and jazzy tinged thanks to the great Rhodes work on '9th Creation.'

Review: Two years ago, Thomas Xu announced himself via a fine debut 12" on Sound Signature where he shared vinyl space with Julion De'Angelo. Here he launches his own label, Steady Flight Circle, via a first full solo EP of his own. It's really rather good, with Xu combining spacey jazz-funk synths, emotive chord progressions and rich musicality with beats that tend towards the jazzy, broken and off-kilter. All three tracks feel loose, warm and immediate, as if they were jammed-out in one take. While they clearly weren't, this improvised feel is hugely endearing. From the sounds of "Different Widsoms", Xu will clearly be a producer to watch in the months and years ahead.